


The End or the Beginning- Part One Trial

by Charms7116



Series: The End or the Beginning. [1]
Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: After the Movie, Angst, Fantasy, Gen, Homecoming, Jim Henson - Freeform, Science Fiction, Skeksis - Freeform, The dark crystal - Freeform, Urskeks, original Dark Crystal Characters, urRu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:07:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27710456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charms7116/pseuds/Charms7116
Summary: This is about what happened to the UrSkeks after Jen Healed the Crystal of TruthAfter the Crystal was healed at the end of the Dark Crystal, the UrSkeks all went home, and all was forgiven? and lived happily ever after!Not at all, well at least not in my AU.I decided to write this, because it made more sense to me that although they went home, they would quickly realise that they no longer fitted amongst their own people, and that they now all felt different, and this is what my story is about, about what happened after they went home, it wasn't quite how they pictured it to be.This story is taken on my version of the UrSkek Homeworld because we really don't know a lot about them, so I made my own interpretation of it.The original story has been broken up into several distinct parts, so I am going to post it as such and seeing it is a sort of bridge between My pre movie AU and my Post Movie Au (which is taken many years later and has a different tone), this one is been put into neither category so is going in one of its own.Disclaimer:  The Dark Crystal is the property of Jim Henson; this is pure fanfiction, so no infringement of copyright is intended.
Series: The End or the Beginning. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026718





	1. Part One – Trial

_Prologue_

_They were One again, those that were left of the original eighteen, plus the two extras._

_They weren’t sure whether that was what they had wanted, nor desired, not yet, or even worth it, but it had been the only way they could save Thra, so they had done it, and this was the result._

_They had made sure that the Crystal had been restored and that the Gelflings had regained their world. Still, the cost to themselves have been high, there were only eleven of them left, only nine of the original eighteen and the two Extra’s remained._

_SoSu had not been restored to them, he had been lost forever and so had the others, which had died._

_There would have only been nine left if it hadn’t been for the two extra’s, the two youngest of them all, the two that should not have been there._

They all stood together, not sure what their fate would be.

SilSol ever a worrier, was silently crying while trying desperately to cover the still darkened mark over his heart.

TekTih though he had been severely wounded, stood there, his visible wounds healed, but he still stood as if injured.

UngIm, their current leader stood there, trying to look confident for them all but not managing to succeed very well.

ZokZah somehow managed to look cool, calm and collected outwardly, but the occasional nervous movements of his long-fingered hands betrayed his nervousness.

But Durnazshar could tell that they all bore wounds and scars from their years as departed beings, and not all of them were physical, they were all conflicted and not sure who they were anymore!

He sighed “this is worse than the first time,” he said to his friend Taelion “at least we were newly born then…and none of us knew who we were!”

“Save maybe you and I,” Taelion said.

This UrSkek had white hair and green eyes which seeing their auras were dark, compared to the others, they were no longer entirely hidden.

“True,” said Durnazshar” the others they will find it harder to be home than you and I will” he sighed “this world, it no longer feels like home, if it ever did”.

Taelion nodded and patted his friend's shoulder, smaller and slighter, than most of them (save OkAc) with violet-blue eyes that his aura no longer entirely hid.

Durnazshar had always looked a little different to the rest of them, his odd wings moved nervously.

“I wonder if I can actually fly with them now” he wondered looking at them, ‘they seem bigger and more defined now” he unfurled them, noting the light that streamed from them and surrounded them.

“Silsol! Stop weeping!” one of the others said, NaNol, “I don’t think Crying is going to help any of us! Let alone you! We are utterly lost!!”

“I know it is silly of me, NaNol,” said SilSol, his voice once again a joy and a delight to hear, even thickened with tears as it currently was “I can’t seem to stop though, or help it, we saved Thra, but at such cost! I mourn for us all!”

“Maybe they’ll just send us back to Thra” OkAc suggesting then (he was another worrier and overly anxious) “or send us elsewhere?”

UngIm looked around, there were nine of the original eighteen remaining, only nine, it had been almost eight.

TekTih had been severely wounded and burnt, although healed when they came back, he still knew he was wounded, they all were! There were only nine of them left, and the two extras, the two innocents.

He and ZokZah had taken charge of them all, although SilSol was also one of the top three, SilSol was currently in too much of a state to be much help now.

He Mourned for SoSu, well at least the part of him that had been UrIm did, SoSu had been one of his oldest friends, and he still missed him.

“We are truly lost,” he said softly to himself.

He turned to Durnazshar and Taelion saying, “we will try and get you two pardoned, I am truly sorry that the two of you got so messed up with this and with us, it was not fair on you two, you were barely more than children, and you were innocents, and in many ways, you still are”.

Taelion bowed his head and Durnazshar always so small and slight, as OkAc, nodded, neither of them was children anymore.

However, they were still the youngest out of them all.

“We are not children anymore UngIm,” Durnazshar said softly, looking up, his unusually pale violet-blue eyes standing out “we have not been children for a long time”.

“If you ask me,” said NaNol “we are all totally lost!”

“I miss SoSu,” said SilSol, “he always exactly knew what to say!” the Musician rubbed his eyes obviously green now, “but, you are right UngIm, tears, they will not help us here. I am one of the top three, and you need my Leadership skills, now, rather than my tears, I shouldn’t be crying” he lowered his head and looked down at the darkened mark over his heart and tried to cover it.

“I forgot how boring our UrSkek robes are!” EktUtt complained, making them all smile slightly “or how boring WE were! We didn’t want this! None of us did! Part of me wishes I had died then come back to…This!” she? indicated herself and the rest of them “surely there was another way!!!”

“There was no other” ZokZah said then, surprising them all with his words.

“We ran out of options, but we have all come back more conflicted than ever! Who are we all now?” he folded his arms. <

“Well, we are about to find out,” said UngIm as the door opened and a young UrSkek clad in the robes, and the sash (they’d forgotten about those, or had they?) of a Council aide said, “the Council they will see you now”.


	2. Part One-Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fallen's Trial Begins

They entered the Chambers and looked around, the Council Elders were all gathered and the light practically blinded them all, making them all realise that their own light was no longer so bright.  
  
There were whispers and much rustling of robes.  
  
Durnazshar furled his ‘ _wings_ ’ in as close as he could, SilSol tried to cover his dark mark, OkAc always so prone to nervousness looked sick.   
  
ZokZah folded his arms across his chest, and UngIm tried to look confident.  
  
“You are The Fallen?” asked a voice.  
  
“Yes, Your Honour,” said UngIm.  
  
“So little of you remain,” the voice said sounding both surprised and saddened.  
  
“Only Nine your Honour and the two Innocents,” UngIm said “SoSu he was lost to us, I took his place, and I speak for us all, if I may”.  
  
“Which one of them are you?”  
  
“UngIm Your Honour” Durnazshar wondered how he was managing to remain so calm, the part of him that was SkekUng must be chafing! Or maybe he was using that side of him to do so, but it was clearly UrIm who was more in charge at the moment.  
  
“How is **he** remaining so calm?” Taelion whispered to his friend.  
  
Back on Thra, neither of them have liked SkekUng much, the feeling had been mutual, but right now they just both felt sorry for him at the moment and were both surprised just how calm he had remained.  
  
“Stop it! We aren’t SkekTael and SkekDurn anymore!’ Durnazshar said.  
  
“True, but tell me, who do you feel more like?”  
  
“I’m not sure anymore,” said Durnazshar.  
  
“Me neither” he admitted.  
  
“ _Ssh_!” NaNol said with a frown at them both.  
  
“Guessing **he’s** still SkekNa!” Taelion said.  
  
Durnazshar sighed and lowered his head again, and Taelion did the same, but the question remained, just **Who** were they now?   
  
Fred chittered nervously picking up his emotions, somehow, Fred had survived and made the transition with them, it seemed that as long as he had a Crystal to feed off, he was virtually immortal.  
  
The UrSkek homeworld was full of them!  
  
“What is _that_!” said one of the other Elders noticing Fred.  
  
UngIm said, “ it is Durnazshar’s animal friend, somehow he made the transition with us, they have a bond”.  
  
“Very well,” said the Council Elder.  
  
UngIm said, “I _**told** _you to leave Fred outside!”  
  
“ _Err_ …he followed me in,” said DurnAzshar leaning on his staff “I didn’t expect him to make the transition with us, Master UngIm”.  
  
UngIm sighed, thought about telling Durnazshar to send the spider out, but, Durnazshar’s downcast violet eyes made him hold his words, Durnazshar was an innocent and he had suffered enough.  
  
“Very well,” he said, he was no longer the odd UrSkek youth and hadn’t been for a long time.  
  
However, they all still saw him as such, and that part of him that was UrIm and UrAzshar’s friend, it broke his heart to see Durnazshar’s exuberance gone, he looked as worn and as drained as the rest of them.  
  
The Council Elder said ‘ so you have finally returned amongst our midst”.  
  
“Yes, Your Honour,” UngIm said, “ we can’t harm anyone anymore, we couldn’t even harm each other there at the end…we did what we knew was right, and we ask and hope for your forgiveness and mercy…although I do want to ask one thing of you”.  
  
“And what is that?”  
  
“There are two amongst us, who should not have to suffer for our crimes,” said UngIm “two who are innocents, I ask for your mercy and forgiveness, do what you will with us, we were wrong, but pardon the two of whom I speak”.  
  
“He means us,” said Taelion “didn’t think SkekUng cared!”  
  
“it is _not_ SkekUng in charge at the moment it is UrIm,” Durnazshar said.  
  
“True,” said Taelion.  
  
“And these two of which you speak?” the Elder asked.  
  
“Durnazshar and Taelion,” UngIm said, “ They should never have been there”.  
  
“Step forward then, those two who UngIm speaks of”.


	3. Part One-Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fallen Trial continues

They did, and the Elder looked at them “state your names and Title?”  
  
“Taelion the Cartographer, also known as Scout, your honour,” Taelion said.  
  
“Durnazshar the Magician, also known as the Sorceror, “DurnAzshar said softly, there were a few whispers.  
  
A voice said then “my son and his adopted brother”. 

Another Member got up and came forward, “I am Kasliel, and that is my son Taelion and his adopted brother Durnazshar the Orphan, a Child of Misfortune, I never thought I would see either of them again….”.  
  
“Father?” Taelion said.  
  
Kasliel continued “Master UngIm is right, they are Innocents, and with him, I will stand on that matter, my son and his brother were led astray, by false promises and dreams, they should not share The Fallen’s Fate”.  
  
UngIm looked in amazement at their unexpected ally and then continued “I ask that they are pardoned, it is not their fault they were led astray, they are innocent of all Heresy”.  
  
The Elder nodded “and with that said, Taelion and Durnazshar, do you stand with your comrades?”  
  
Durnazshar said, “We _choose_ to stand with them your Honour, they are our friends and our Comrades and brothers”.  
  
“And you Taelion do you also choose to do so?” he was asked.  
  
Taelion nodded “I choose to do so”.  
  
“Very well,” said the Elder “but we will take your circumstances into consideration, how do you bid Master UngIm?”  
  
“We are conflicted, both Guilty and not guilty,” said UngIm “but we did do wrong, and we should pay, it has been two thousand years, and only nine of us remain. We can no longer harm anyone, so I ask you to take that under your consideration, we ask now is that we can remain, to dwell once more in the light, our Darkness it is gone, cast away, all we ask is that we be allowed to dwell amongst you once again”.  
  
** _Our_ Darkness _is not_ _gone!_ _he knows_ _that! We all_ _know that_ ** Durnazshar said telepathically to Taelion on their private link, the one no one had ever been able to get into save themselves and their counterparts ** _it is not really ‘_ Darkness!’ **  
  
The Council Elder asked, “do you have anything else to add?”  
  
UngIm said “no your Honour, our fate is in your hands, seeing we are incapable of figuring it out for ourselves…. Just consider this, Pardon Durnazshar and Taelion, and let us all become a useful part of society again, we have wronged many, but, we have mostly wronged ourselves, we can no longer harm anyone, the harm we have done to ourselves is enough, we ask to do Penance”.  
  
The Council discussed this amongst themselves briefly, then the Elder said, “we will take a short recess, and we will discuss your Fate, remain here, and contemplate your words and natures, Justice it will be served”, and with those words, they all turned their backs and left them there.  
  
“They’ll banish us for sure! Again!” said ZokZah.  
  
“Would that be such a terrible thing?’ SilSol asked then “after what we’ve been through already?”  
  
“Maybe they’ll just send us back to Thra,” AyukAmaj said.  
  
“That is a closed book to us,” Durnazshar said, “we have done enough damage to that world already…”.  
  
“Imprison us inside the Crystal, perhaps?” said OkAc, a worried discussion arose amongst them then.  
  
“That is _what_ stranded us there in the _first_ place!” SilSol said.  
  
“And **you**!” said UngIm.  
  
“True” he agreed then.  
  
“Our darkness is not gone…not fully,” said OkAc then.  
  
“But **that’s** the whole point!” Durnazshar said then “it **wasn’t** Darkness! We **DID** nothing wrong!”  
  
OkAc said “it is according to our people!” he sighed “look I know what you are getting at Durn, but it won’t help us here!”  
  
“Nothing will, I fear,” ZokZah said then “all that is left for us to do is take what is given us, they will not kill us, that is not the UrSkek way…but they might as well have”.  
  
“Should have destroyed the Shard while we had the chance!” NaNol muttered them, surprising them all with his words “so what if we had all died…it would be better than _this_!!!”  
  
The others all looked at him, and he shrugged “well, it’s true!”  
  
“Keep your thought and feelings under guard” warned UngIm.  
  
“Oh, stow it, Ung! You know you feel the same way!” NaNol said, clearly, he was now more SkekNa than UrNol.  
  
UngIm sighed “I understand”.  
  
“Oh no!” said SilSol then “please don’t fight! It will only make things worse for us all!”.  
  
UngIm said, “your right Sil, NaNol hold your tongue. And be wary of your thoughts! our ‘Darkness’ is not gone…not entirely”.  
  
“I miss SoSu,” said SilSol.  
  
They all signed and looked nervously towards the closed doors, had the Council heard them fighting? They all stood around silent again, Durnazshar fed his spider.  
  
“They don’t want us here anymore…nor do we want to be here,” said OkAc

“This will be quick, our sentence it will be decided, Quickly”.  
  
“Hope they send us back to Thra,” said AyukAmaj then, eating some berries and cream.  
  
“They _won’t_ send us back to Thra!” said ZokZah.  
  
“Why not?” he asked mildly.  
  
“Because I _closed_ the pathway to it!” said Durnazshar then “at least to us”.  
  
“What you do that for!” AyukAmaj complained.  
  
“Because he had to,” said TekTih.  
  
AyukAmaj said, “ you did _what_?”  
  
“He blocked passage for us, they can reopen it, just that _none_ of us can…” said TekTih “and it seems that they have decided our fate, as the door was opened again, and they were all led back in.


	4. Part One- Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Verdicts are handed down onto the Fallen

We have taken your words under consideration, UngIm and many of us voted that you be Banished again through the Crystal…” they were told.  
  
“Very well,” said UngIm “ just I ask you one thing…give us a choice on where we are to go”.  
  
“I am not finished” the Elder continued “ but just as many decided that you should be allowed to stay, and mine was the deciding vote, so it has been decided that you may all stay and that Durnazshar and Taelion are to be pardoned, under one condition”.  
  
“And what condition is that?”  
  
“That you all take a vow to remain true to UrSkek values, that you _**all** _wear the penitent Bands, that you do not delve in wickedness and that you do not encourage others to do so,” said the Elder.  
  
“And in return?” ZokZah asked.  
  
“That you do Penance, that you all wear the penitent bands as a warning to those you meet, that you all take a vow to remain faithful, you agree to live as UrSkek and that you all **e _ndeavour_ **to work hard to become useful members of society once again.   
If you do this, you will be designated to positions to suit your skills and abilities, you attend Counselling and undergo re-education, and you remain apart for a time while you are undergoing Counselling and Re-Education, so you aren’t tempted to fall out of the Vow you make…is that _understood_?”  
  
“You mean you are going to separate us?” said NaNol.  
  
“Yes, it has been agreed, It is too risky to let you remain together for now, that you are to be separated from one another, and not to actively associate with one another until such time. That it has been decided that it is safe and permissible for you to do so, If you follow those rules and work hard to redeem yourselves, it will not be as long as you may fear, the only exceptions to this rule regarding this condition are Durnazshar and Taelion”.  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because they are family…Taelion, Durnazshar, do you agree to these terms?”  
  
“Do we have any other choice?” Taelion asked then “yes, I agree”.  
  
“me too,” said Durnazshar.  
  
“UngIm, do you and the rest of The Fallen agree to these terms as well?” they were asked.  
  
“Do we have any other choice?” UngIm asked “ very well we agree, I will speak for us all here” he sighed “ we merely wish to become a part of society again…we will conform, and we will take a vow to do so”.  
  
“Durnazshar it has also been decided that you keep what you call your ‘ _magic_ ’ to a minimum, it is disruptive, and most of it is fuelled by what led you astray in the first place…do you understand?”  
  
“What! That’s like cutting his _heart_ out! Or tearing his _soul_ out” SilSol said.  
  
The Elder regarded SilSol steadily then and sternly and said, “you are probably one of the worst of them all, SilSol, the Musician!”  
  
SilSol said “ my apologies Elder, but you can’t stop Durnazshar from using his magic…it is like me with music. It is his soul!”  
  
“He already has SilSol,” said Durnazshar then, “ my magic, it is disruptive, very well I will agree, I will keep my usage of it to a minimum”.  
  
The Elder nodded and then said “you are all home now, where you all belong, given time, you will once again become useful members of society, and your wickedness and dishonour you have bought upon yourselves will be forgotten. Work hard, and you will all be allowed to see one another again…” he paused “ do you all agree to these terms?”  
  
UngIm nodded and said “ very well, we vow to forego our wicked ways and that we will **_endeavour_ **to work hard to become useful members of society once more,” UngIm said, “ and we will _endeavour_ to dispel any darkness that may remain inside us all”.  
  
The Elder nodded “ remain here, all of you and we will call you in one by one to be given your designations” he paused “the first one we will call on is you UngIm”, and he led him through another door.  
  
“Guilty as charged it seems’ ZokZah said, folding his hands in his robes “ you do realise we will probably all die of loneliness now?”  
  
“Shut up, Zok!” TekTih practically snarled “it is better than what it could have been!”  
  
“True” ZokZah sighed “ but splitting us up like this, and basically, forbidding us to associate with one another” he looked at ShodYod and OkAc, standing together “ that is going to be the hardest”.  
  
“It is more than what we deserve,” said TekTih then, “look at us Zok, we can’t hurt _anyone_ anymore! They **know** that! Only nine of us remain! Eleven if you count Durn and Tael”.  
  
“Their killed us,” said ZokZah.  
  
“No, they haven’t,” said Taelion.  
  
“They may as well have!” he said with a sigh.  
  
Silsol drifted around nervously and said, “they're separating us all…doesn’t that worry you more? They're breaking us up, they're sending us away from each other”.  
  
“After so long” Durnazshar added then “ we are going to find it harder to adapt” he sighed “ Pardoned I maybe but I shared your fate, I too will wear the Penitent Bands, seeing they want to make an example of us all. They could not think of a more fitting  
punishment than that. To isolate us from one another. To stop us from associating with each other until they decide such time that it is safe that we do so…which maybe forever as far as I am concerned, that is going to be hardest for you all. Taelion and I, we lived apart from the rest of you for many years, we will adapt, but the rest of you…I fear for you all”.  
  
“At _least_ you and Tael get to stay together,” OkAc said, he was standing next to ShodYod who although silent was looking at OkAc as if the separation was going to physically hurt them both.  
  
“I miss LiLii,” Durnazshar said with a sigh “ I wonder had she been here would they have separated us as well, seeing we were...well.”   
  
He pulled out a velvet ribbon and ran it through his hands.  
  
“I keep forgetting that you are no longer a child Durnazshar” ZokZah remmarked.  
  
“I am not,” he said “ I haven’t been for a long time, you all still see me as the odd UrSkek youth, but I too eventually grew up, and I too got old” he indicated his current form “ we have all been regenerated, but I am no longer a child, the Crystal restored us, healed our wounds, it made us **_Whole_** again … but our psychological scars it cannot heal”.  
  
“Or our darkness,” said ZokZah “ not fully…especially us”.  
  
“It is not _darkness_ ,” said Durnazshar “We are always going to be looked at askance from now on, with wariness and distrust and probably pity as well, we are known as ‘ _The Fallen_ ’ you do all realise that don’t you?”.  
  
“Yes,” said SilSol.  
  
“we will have to learn to use that as a shield” Durnazshar continued “ pardoned I maybe, but I too bear the taint, I will wear the penance bands as well as I too bear the taint due to my association with you, and it will remain”.  
  
“When did you get to be so wise?” Silsol asked.  
  
“I had a good teacher, and a good… _friend_ ” Durnazshar said, “ SoSu, you, all of you, yes even you UrZah! And I am going to miss you all”.  
  
“Group hug?” said EktUtt then, making them all smile a little, as the door opened and UngIm came out.  
  
“Your next ZokZah,” he said softly;he sighed “ maybe not a group hug but let us at least all stand together, one last time and sing, because once they separate us, we may never see each other again”.  
  
He then held up a scroll “I have been assigned a job in the Provinces as a Trainer in Healing for one of the Warden Towers, it is a high position…and what I once may have wanted, had things been different, But I am on my own”.  
  
“You were initially a Healer, a Physician, “ ZokZah pointed out.  
  
“True…I was, and part of me continued in that path, but now I’m not so sure,” he said “ your next ZokZah, and once they reassign us all…let us all stand together once last time” he stood aside to let the former Ritual Guardian/ Master pass.


	5. Part One- Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Fallen all say Goodbye to one another.

A long while later they all stood together in a circle as the last two of their number joined them, Durnazshar and Taelion.  
  
They welcomed them into the ring, and they all joined hands, for a moment, silently praying.  
  
“This is perhaps the last time we will all be together, so let us pray and reflect,” ZokZah said.  
  
For a long time, they just all stood there, like that, praying and reflecting and then ZokZah said: “ _We vow to return to a life of Enlightenment, quiet contemplation, study and usefulness, so let the light of the Great Crystal shine down on all of us, upon us all, forgive us for our sins and crimes, and the past 2000 years and help us retain our Vow_ ”.  
  
“That’s **not** SkekZok!” Taelion whispered to Durnazshar.  
  
“No, that’s **UrZah,** ” Durnazshar said, “ and possibly ZokZah”.  
  
Taelion said, “ how did we all come to this?”  
  
“ _We Vow_ ,” they all said as One and held onto each other for a little longer, then withdrew.  
  
“Well, that’s _that_ then!” said EktUtt then “ we are to continue on with our lives, as we once did…to try and forget Thra and all that happened there” she sighed “at least I was able to return to my old position, nice knowing you all….”.  
  
UngIm said, “ we are home again, we are UrSkek again, and we are One again, and it is time we rejoined society and try and forget what happened over the last 2000 years, what was it you always said Durnazshar?”  
  
Durnazshar said, “ it was this… _we will all be one again, or at least become full beings again, even if it is not quite how we expected it too, but this has happened, the Song it must begin anew and time must move on, and we must all move along with it”.  
_  
“But we didn’t _**want** _this!” said EktUtt.  
  
“No, we did,” said ZokZah “ well _part_ of us did…”.  
  
UngIm held up a hand “ he is right…but that is true Durnazshar I remember” he sighed then “ but this is where we stand, I got assigned to the Provinces as a Trainer for the Wardens… so I will probably never see any of you again, it is sad, but it is true”.  
  
They said where they had been assigned, it seemed, to them that the ones who were considered less of a threat were allowed to remain in the Capitol and assume their old posts, but those (namely the three leaders) were all assigned to the Provinces separately.  
  
SilSol had been given a post as Music Teacher at one of the Academies out there, ZokZah as a Priest in one of the newer Towers in the Provinces, UngIm had been assigned to the Wardens in another.  
  
Durnazshar was assigned as a Research Assistant in the Great Library, Taelion was assigned to the Tower of Cartography as a Cartographer, he and Durnazshar were allowed to remain together and been assigned to a residence together, they’d been told it was because they were family, but the rest of them had more or less been separated.  
  
“They can’t _do_ this to us and expect us to well…survive!” OkAc complained.  
  
“They have,” said UngIm.  
  
“2000 years! We have been separated after 2000 years! We can’t live like that, we relied on each other to survive!” OkAc continued “NaNol and ZokZah are right, they have killed us!”.  
  
“We aren’t Skeksis _or_ UrRu anymore, we are **_One_** , we are UrSkek, and that is what we must be contented to be,” ZokZah said, he looked at his scroll “I suppose this is better than what I thought it would be and probably better than I deserved after everything we have done!”  
  
“What you get Durnazshar?” EktUtt asked “ seeing you had no position and were still a child and still in school when you left?”  
  
Durnazshar said “ Research Assistant at the Library, I was told that I had gotten that because I kept such detailed journals, but I think it is probably because they didn’t know what to do with one the likes of me,” he picked up his satchel all that remained of his life on Thra “ come on Fred” and picking up his mage staff which had also made the transition with him he turned to leave.  
  
“Guess there is nothing much more left for us to do or say,” said Taelion “ save, start our new lives….”.  
  
“Do not ever forget, even if that is what they want us to do?” SilSol said softly then, they all clasped hands and then broke apart and filed out in single file.


	6. Part One- Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SilSol, Durnazshar and Taelion say Goodbye 
> 
> This is the End of Part One- Trial, the Second Part is coming soon, it is called Ghosts

SilSol, Durnazshar and Taelion stood together, SilSol the last to step into the transmat, the others had already either gone or gone to their new homes.  
  
They had been given a day to prepare themselves for it, they all realised that this was probably the last time they would ever see each other and were reluctant to say goodbye.  
  
SilSol said “ as I said I have been assigned to one of the Provinces, to an Academy out there as a Music teacher, I will probably never see either of you ever again if I don’t die of loneliness first! So, all I can say is remember me and what I taught you both, this is not your fault, Durnazshar, Taelion, if anything it is mine! **I** was the one that led you astray, this is **_my_** burden, and I must bear it alone, do this for me, remember what I taught you both and if I do die of loneliness…I will leave this world content if you remember this” he sighed and embraced them both “ I love you like you were my own Son Durnazshar, so farewell my dearest friends, do not let your Song die out”.  
  
“Farewell,” they both said.  
  
“Do you still have your lute Durnazshar, the one I gave you so long ago?”  
  
He nodded “I do… _Parting of the Ways_ ”.  
  
SilSol nodded “ play it sometimes and remember me”.  
  
“I will do so SilSol,” he said, “ _try_ and be happy SilSol”.  
  
SilSol nodded “ the least I can do is try and endure,” he said “ find your own peace you two, trust your heart, you will always be Innocents” and without another word, he stepped into the transmat and, was gone in a flash of light.  
  
“Guess that just leaves us now,” Taelion said to Durnazshar, still blinking in the lights of the city, still adapting to the crystalline light of the UrSkek Capitol, UrSkan, they all were, they had been gone for too long and had forgotten how bright it was.  
  
“Why keep us together, though?” Taelion asked.  
  
“Because we were pardoned despite having to wear the Penitent Bands ourselves, and because we are brothers, if not in blood…had VarMa and LachSen been here they might have remained together too, seeing their siblings too… that is what I was told,” said Durnazshar “I am guessing they don’t see either of us as a threat, seeing they let us remain in the Capitol”.  
  
“True,” said Taelion “ guess I should go report in then and I will see you later in our assigned residence”.  
  
“We have a day to adapt,” said Durnazshar.  
  
“I know, but I don’t know where the tower is,” he said “you know we never did find out if we were actually brothers or not,” said Taelion.  
  
“Guess that doesn’t matter now,” said Durnazshar “ and what our fate is, that suggests that maybe we are, or at least cousins…. I will go home and unpack, most of our belongings have already been transferred there, such as they are… it's kind of sad really,  
the Others. They have nothing left from their life on Thra, we at least had _something_ , due to the fact we took what we could carry with us when we left, to go to the Castle” he stepped into the transmat and punched in the coordinates, they had been given for  
their new home, and he and Fred vanished.   
  
Taelion stood alone in the empty boulevard it was late.   
  
Most of the populace had gone to their own homes now or too other entertainments, there were always lectures and concerts, here, the UrSkeks prided themselves on collecting knowledge.   
  
They considered themselves _enlightened_ …which was ironic in its own way. He felt more alone than he ever had “UrSkeks, our race they aren’t meant to be alone” he said softly, it had been Durnazshar who had coined that phrase, at least he still had Durnazshar, but the Others, they had noone, he wished them all well and that they would find something, “or maybe that is the whole point! Separate us all and hope that we all just fade away and die! Like we were _meant_ too” he looked down at his aura “ we’re already doing that…” he said softly, he punched in his coordinates and vanished in a flash of light.  
  


**END OF PART ONE- LOOK OUT FOR PART TWO-GHOSTS**


End file.
